C
HAPTER
40
“C
ome inside,” I said to Luc, standing at the door to the screen porch. We’d come Between at the side of the house, checking for cars. Even my mom’s Taurus was gone, but I could see her through the windows, head bent over the sink, scrubbing furiously.
“You sure this is the right time for introductions?” Luc asked. “Might be a lot for her to take in, considerin’.”
There was never going to be a good time to tell my mom about Luc. Instead, I opened the door and he followed behind, looking almost nervous. Luc, who never looked nervous. Who owned every room he walked into within seconds. And the prospect of meeting my mom turned his skin pale under the golden hue. It was oddly touching.
“Mo!” My mom whirled as we entered, squeezing the sponge so tightly that rivulets of soap ran down her arm. “Where have you been? We’ve been frantic!”
“I’m sorry.” I knew how it looked—out all night, my hair wet from a hasty shower, wearing one of Luc’s cashmere sweaters while he hovered at my shoulder. And for once, the situation was exactly as it seemed. I didn’t even try to tell her she shouldn’t worry, because I realized I’d been out of the loop for an entire day. She had all sorts of things to worry about, and Luc was the least of it.
“Where’s Billy? And Dad?”
“Where have you been?” she asked again, voice shrill, and her eyes were filled with tears.
“Where are they, Mom?”
“Your uncle’s probably at the bar. Your father’s driving around looking for you. Where’s Colin? He’s supposed to be taking care of you.”
“He had to leave.” I kept my voice steady. For the best, I reminded myself.
Her gaze slid to Luc, openly hostile. “I can see why.”
“Colin has a sister. Did you know that?”
“A sister? He never said ... he should have brought her to visit.”
“She was sick. Too sick to visit. She’s better now, but they need a fresh start. They’re gone, Mom.”
Her lips pressed together, hands still wringing a dishcloth till it nearly split. “And who’s this, then?”
“Luc DeFoudre,” he said, stepping forward and offering his hand. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
It had to be the accent, I decided. The accent, or the way his smile managed to be solemn yet beguiling, or the way he bowed slightly, like a courtier. Whatever trick he used, my mom thawed a few degrees—from arctic to merely wintry—and considering how very bad things were at the moment, that was an incredible victory.
“You’re a friend of Mo’s?”
“Yes’m.”
“Well, Luc,” she said. “We are having a slight family ... situation right now. Perhaps you could come for dinner in a few weeks, and we could get to know you a little better. But for now, I’m going to have to ask you to excuse us.”
Closing ranks. Putting on the veneer of propriety that she’d adopted most of my life. Impossible to pretend everything was okay, so she’d shifted to damage control, with a practiced smoothness.
Luc nodded politely. “I appreciate that, ma’am. But I’m afraid I can’t leave.”
“Oh?”
“Not if Mo’s in trouble. Not if she might need help.”
“What Mo needs,” my mother said, “is someone who can take care of her. Protect her.”
“She’s not much inclined to let anyone do that,” Luc said. “Wish she would, but I’ve learned it’s better not to argue with her when she’s got her mind made up.”
“I can take care of myself,” I said.
“Never said you couldn’t,” he replied. “But I might come in handy.”
My mom set the dishcloth down and gripped the edge of the sink with both hands, seemingly arguing with herself. Finally, she turned back to us.
“Are you hungry? I can put together some sandwiches, if you’d like.”
She’d been too upset to cook. She must have been out of her mind with worry, and I was about to make it worse.
“I can’t stay,” I began, but the phone rang, making us both jump.
“Maybe it’s your father,” she said, and lunged for the phone, cutting it off midring. From the way her face fell, I knew it wasn’t Dad, and she held the handset out to me. “Billy,” she said, her voice devoid of emotion.
“You have something that doesn’t belong to you,” he said when I’d taken the phone.
My mom watched me like she used to when I’d come home from a party—not that I’d gone to many, but she’d always stayed up, looking for any evidence of drinking or boys—vodka on my breath, shirt buttoned incorrectly. There’d never been anything for her to find. But I slipped into the other room, and before she could follow, Luc intercepted her.
“I could do with one of those sandwiches,” he said. “And a cup of coffee, if it’s not too much trouble. We both could, come to think of it. Not sure when I last saw her eat.”
Clever Luc. I walked to the other side of the living room, peered out the windows. The street was empty—if Billy had people watching the house, they were well hidden. I turned my attention back to the phone.
“I don’t have it. I did exactly what you told me to when I walked in there—I gave it to Ekomov.”
“Don’t play games with me. They didn’t find it on his body. Or in the room.”
“Things got a little crazy there at the end. Hard to keep track of a little thing like a flash drive when someone’s trying to kill you.”
“He said he wouldn’t kill you. He wanted information.”
“And then he wanted me dead. You saw what Anton sent after me in the alley. Darklings aren’t big on talking.”
His voice was icy. “It was business.”
“I am
family.
”
“If you were family, you’d have helped. Every step of the way, you put someone else before us. The police identification. Donnelly. The Arcs—they’re not even your people, and you chose them over your own kin. You made your feelings crystal clear, and so I did what I had to do to protect what’s mine.”
“Call someone who cares,” I said.
But before I could hang up the phone, he said, “You care. I believe they call that an Achilles’ heel, don’t they? You care about all sorts of people—Donnelly and his sister, for example. And your mother.”
“Colin and Tess are gone,” I said, fear gathering at the nape of my neck.
“They can’t have gotten too far in one day. Not with Tess in her condition. Not without help, and I can well imagine who you turned to this time. Lena, isn’t it? Her family’s got a talent for making people disappear without an ounce of magic.”
“Leave her alone.”
“Can you imagine what would happen if people started prying into their business? Years of jail time, I’d imagine. For all the people involved. When did your friend turn eighteen, I wonder?”
“It’s a stupid disk drive,” I said. “It’s some files.”
“Files that many people in this city—important people, powerful people—have an interest in. You’ve pushed too much this time, Mo. You’ve angered too many people. If you return the drive, tonight, I can stave off the worst of the damage. If you don’t, I can’t protect you, or anyone else you care about. Lena, Donnelly ... even your mother. It will be out of my hands, Maura Kathleen, and on your head.”
“I don’t—” have the drive, I almost said, and stopped. If he thought I had the drive, I had leverage. And one last chance to stop him. I climbed the stairs to my room. “I don’t know how you live with yourself.”
He chuckled. “Quite comfortably, as it happens. Bring the drive now. I’d like this finished.”
The buzz of the dial tone filled my ear.
“Not as much as I would,” I muttered, and rummaged in my desk until I found another St. Brigid’s thumb drive, identical to the one he’d given me. Then I returned to the kitchen, where my mom and Luc were each pretending to eat a roast beef sandwich, the squat jar of horseradish between them. I set the phone back on the base.
“I have to go out for a little while.”
My mother dropped her sandwich. “You just got back! Your father’s still out looking for you, Mo. We’ll call him. Let him take care of this.”
“He can’t. I won’t be long. Stay here until I come back.”
“I am your mother! I don’t know what gives you the idea that you can order me around, but you have it absolutely backward, young lady. I want to know what’s going on. This minute.”
“Billy thinks I have something of his.”
“You stole from him?” she said, clearly horrified.
“No—he gave it to me. Now he wants it back.” I rubbed at my forehead. “It’s complicated, okay? But I need to go see him. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Mo, sweetheart.” She pressed a fist against her mouth, like she was holding back words. “Be careful.”
Luc followed me outside. “You gave Jenny the drive. Why not let the police handle it now?”
“He’s going after the people I love. My friends. My family. I’m not waiting for the police.” I slung my bag over my shoulder and started down the sidewalk.
“Your uncle’s a bad man, and he needs to be dealt with, but Mouse, I am begging you. Let someone else do it.”
I whirled. “You knew this is why I was coming back. Why are you trying to talk me out of it now?”
“Because we’re good now, you and I. We’re finally good, and the magic is safe, and you are scaring the hell out of me.” He took my face in his hands, and I understood the source of his fear
“I love you, too.” Just saying the words out loud gave me strength. “And when this is done, you are taking us somewhere wonderful. The ocean. I have never seen the ocean in my life, and I think it’s about time.”
“The ocean,” he said, swallowing hard. “You gonna wear a bikini?”
“You could probably talk me into it.”
“Rather talk you out of it,” he grumbled.
“That too.” I kissed him, slow and careful until my blood started to heat and his hands edged under my shirt, and the kiss turned fast and hard and desperate.
Then I broke away and headed for Morgan’s, promising myself it would be the last time.
C
HAPTER
41
W
e could have gone Between, I guess, but I needed the time to make a plan. The air smelled like earth and melting snow despite the chill wind. “It smells like spring,” I said, surprised. When had winter ended?
Luc drew in a deep breath, humoring me. “Never lived somewhere with seasons. Wouldn’t mind giving it a try. If you wanted.”
“Leave New Orleans?” I’d never considered the notion that Luc might move somewhere else. He’d always seemed tied to the city. Then again, we hadn’t had time to consider our future at all, really.
“I’m not on the Quartoren yet,” he said. “Easy enough to pop in when they need us.”
It would be so easy to walk with Luc and plan our future, now that we had one. But the plans I needed to make now were a little more immediate and a lot less fun.
“Don’t much trust your uncle,” Luc said. “Figure he’s not inviting you down to Morgan’s for a drink.”
“No,” I said. “But he won’t hurt me. Not if you’re there.” I touched his arm. “I hate to ask this of you.”
“You changed your mind? You want me to take him out?”
“No. But if you could look threatening. Do the thing where the sparks come out of your hand. The sword wouldn’t be a bad touch.”
“My usual charming self, then.”
“Exactly. The drive I gave Jenny—it should be enough to lock him up, and based on what she’s said, they’ll move in pretty quickly. I just need to keep things under control for a little longer.”
“Easy as pie,” he said, stopping midstride. “You know, you haven’t mentioned your daddy in all of this.”
I understood my father, finally. I had learned easily you could trap yourself—make one bad decision with the best of intentions, and watch your life slide out of control as a result. “He didn’t know about Anton. I’m sure of it. Billy wanted to keep the magic for himself. As for the rest ... he’s my dad. He’s not happy about working for Billy again, but he went ahead and did it. I think he knows it’s going to end badly, but he’s stuck.”
“You still angry?”
We walked another block before I answered. “Hurt, I guess. I wish my mom and I had been enough for him. Or maybe he thought he wasn’t enough for us. Either way ... I can’t help him now.”
He squeezed my hand in silent understanding.
“So, we go in,” Luc said. “You’ll give him the drive? Even though it’s fake?”
“I want Billy to think he’s won,” I said. “I want to see him think he’s beaten me, and give me that smug look, and then I want to see his face when I take it all away. When I tell him the cops have the real drive, and he’s finished. He’s taken so much from me, Luc. From my mom. I want to see him realize that I’ve taken every last thing from him.”
Luc blinked, shook his head. “You’re vergin’ on bloodthirsty, Mouse. Unexpected.”
“Does that bother you?”
“Not at all. Thinking maybe you missed your calling for the Quartoren, though. You’d make Dominic either very nervous or very proud.”
“I prefer nervous.”
“Figured you might.”